University of Chicago Library

Guide to the Hyde Park Historical Society Collection 1830-2009

Acknowledgments

The Hyde Park Historical Society Collection was processed and preserved through generous support from the Hyde Park Historical Society.

Descriptive Summary

Title:

Hyde Park Historical Society. Collection

Dates:

1830-2009

Size:

189 linear feet (179 boxes)

Repository:

Special Collections Research Center
University of Chicago Library
1100 East 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.

Abstract:

The Hyde Park Historical Society was founded in 1977 to record and preserve the history of the Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood. Included are the Hyde Park Historical Society's administrative records, as well as its collection of historic materials. The collection contains architectural drawings, artifacts, audio material, clippings, correspondence, deeds, manuscripts, maps, memorabilia, oral histories, photographs, postcards, posters, publications, scrapbooks, and slides. These document the individuals, institutions, events, and projects that have shaped Hyde Park's urban and social landscape.

Information on Use

Access

Series XII: Restricted, contains financial records of the Hyde Park Historical Society and names and addresses of members. Written permission from the Hyde Park Historical Society is required for access.

Series III: Subseries 5; Series IV: Subseries 1; and Series IX: Subseries 2-3 contain audio, video and digital materials. Access copies are not included for these materials. Researchers will need to consult with staff before requesting these materials.

Series III, Subseries 5 contains oral history interviews on cassette tape and transcripts of most of the interviews. They are sorted by subseries to indicate which transcripts are open for research.

Citation

Historical Note

The Hyde Park Historical Society was founded in 1977 to record and preserve the history of Hyde Park-Kenwood. It seeks to educate and foster appreciation of the neighborhood's heritage.

Hyde Park was founded by Paul Cornell (1822-1904), a lawyer and real estate speculator (and cousin of Ezra Cornell, founder of Cornell University). Cornell was an urban planner who envisioned a resort community of parks and hotels. In the 1850s he chose a township on Lake Michigan and the southern branch of the Illinois Central Railroad, incorporated in 1861 as the Hyde Park Township. Originally extending from 39th to 63rd Streets, Hyde Park’s boundaries were later redrawn to stretch south to 138th St. and west to State St. Hyde Park became a successful destination spot with its own rail depot on 53rd St. and a popular hotel, the Hyde Park House (now Hampton House condominium at 53rd St. and Lake Michigan). The Hyde Park Herald, Chicago’s oldest community newspaper, was established in 1882. The township was annexed by the city in 1889.

Hyde Park hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. In 1890 John D. Rockefeller founded the University of Chicago, which by the 1920s housed a business school, the Oriental Institute, and the Chicago Theological Seminary.

Hyde Park during this period was an affluent neighborhood governed by racially restrictive covenants which prevented African-Americans from buying or occupying property. The neighborhood’s demography began to change during the Depression when its hotels ceased to attract wealthy clientele. An artists’ colony was established on 57th St. The annual 57th Street Art Fair, started in 1948, continues as Chicago’s oldest juried art fair. With racial covenants lifted by the Supreme Court in 1940, Hyde Park’s now-cheap properties became home to large numbers of African-Americans arriving from the southern states.

Although Hyde Park by the 1950s was suffering from the same economic decline as the rest of Chicago’s South Side, it had powerful community advocates. These included Leon Despres, the lawyer and civil rights champion, elected alderman in 1955; Hyde Park Herald publisher Bruce Sagan; the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, a residents’ organization who formed 20 block clubs in 1950; and the Hyde Park Cooperative Society, which opened Chicago’s largest grocery store in 1959. The University of Chicago’s urban renewal projects of the 1950s and 1960s razed and replaced entire city blocks. Though this “Fight Against Blight” aimed at creating a diverse and prosperous neighborhood, the displacement of African-Americans and removal of entertainment districts made the project controversial. The University’s re-imagination of Hyde Park and its continuous expansion are still debated.

Today Hyde Park-Kenwood is generally considered to be the area bounded by 47th and 60th Streets, and by Lake Michigan and Cottage Grove Avenue. Its heritage is preserved by the Hyde Park Historical Society, which began as the “Hyde Park-Kenwood Historical League” during 1975 and 1976. Through the collaborative efforts of Clyde Watkins, Tom Jensen, Leon Despres, Jean Block, Victoria Ranney, Thelma Dahlberg, Muriel Beadle, and others, the new organization acquired 5529 S. Lake Park Avenue. This building was originally a waiting room for cable cars. Hyde Park Historical Society was incorporated as an Illinois not-for-profit in 1978, and opened its renovated headquarters in 1980. The Society is active in the community and supported by some 300 members. It stages exhibits, runs programs, publishes a newsletter, and collects historical materials for its archives.

Series I: Administration, contains correspondence, histories, membership information, minutes, newsletters, notices, and photographs related to the administration of the Hyde Park Historical Society. It includes material for exhibits they staged. This series spans 1976-1999.

Series III: Individuals, contains the histories, memorabilia, and writings of influential and ordinary people who lived and live in Hyde Park and the greater South Side. Material spans 1830-2009.

Series IV: Architecture and Urban Planning, focuses on the architectural history of Hyde Park-Kenwood and the urban renewal projects pursued in the area. It includes architectural drawings, administrative records of housing developments, brochures, tour guides, legal documents, maps, photographs, and postcards. Material spans 1876-2007.

Series V: Parks and Landmarks, contains clippings, correspondence, maps, pamphlets, and photographs related to Chicago parks and sites of interest, particularly on the South Side. Material spans 1906-2005.

Series VI: Events, contains clippings, maps, photographs, and programs of Chicago-area exhibitions and events, with a focus on those staged on the South Side. Material spans 1893-2009.

Series VII: Transportation, contains histories of maps of Chicago transit. It includes passenger magazines and newsletters. Material spans 1901-2006.

Subject Headings

INVENTORY

Series I: Administration

This series contains correspondence, histories, membership information, minutes, newsletters, notices, and photographs related to the administration of the Hyde Park Historical Society, spanning 1976-1999. It includes material for exhibits they staged. Oversized material has been transferred to Series XI.

Box 1 Folder 1

By-laws and founding, 1976-1979

Box 1 Folder 2

Correspondence, archives, 1979-1988

Box 1 Folder 3-4

Correspondence, general, 1990, 1999

Box 1 Folder 5

Correspondence, headquarters and renovation, 1978-1979

Box 1 Folder 6

Correspondence, membership and meetings, 1987-1989

Box 1 Folder 7

Correspondence, Stephen Treffman, 1978-1990

Box 1 Folder 8

Exhibit, Blue Sky Press, 1981

Box 1 Folder 9-10

Exhibit, Hyde Park history and politics, undated

Box 1 Folder 11

Exhibits, "Rosalie Court" and "Young Historians," 1982

Box 1 Folder 12

Exhibit, "Student Co-op Housing," 1985

Box 1 Folder 13

Grant, Illinois Humanities Council, 1980

Box 1 Folder 14

Histories, 1980, undated

Box 1 Folder 15

Invitation and photos, Mikado Anniversary Gala, 1985

Box 1 Folder 16

Membership, 1976-1978

Box 2 Folder 1-4

Minutes, 1977-1987

Box 2 Folder 5

Minutes and newsletters, 1982, 1988

Box 2 Folder 6-7

Newsletters, 1978-1987

Box 2 Folder 8

Newsletters and notes, 1980, 1987

Box 2 Folder 9-11

Notices, activities and meetings, 1976-1988

Box 2 Folder 12

Paul Cornell Award, undated

Box 3 Folder 1-3

Photographs and slides, 1979-1980, undated

Box 3 Folder 4

Press releases and publicity, 1978

Box 3 Folder 5

Print, undated

Box 3 Folder 6

Publications, 1980-1989

Box 3 Folder 7

Reminiscences, Carroll Russell, 1982

Box 3 Folder 8

Reports and photographs, annual meetings, 1979-1982

Box 3 Folder 9

Tour to Lockport, 1982

Series II: Organizations and Institutions

This series contains material generated by Chicago-area institutions and organizations and collected by the Hyde Park Historical Society. Oversized material has been transferred to Series XI. It is divided into 6 subseries:

Washington High School, The Museology Class, "Chicago's Southeast Side Cultural Institutions: A Community of Churches, 1990s

Box 42 Folder 7

The Washington Park Club, by-laws, 1889

Box 42 Folder 8

The Wednesday Park Painting People, open house exhibition program, 1987

Box 42 Folder 9

Women's Council for City Renewal, correspondence, 1961

Box 42 Folder 10

Woodlawn Business Men's Association, coupon book, undated

Box 42 Folder 11

Woodlawn Business Men's Association, stationery, undated

Box 42 Folder 12

Woodlawn Trust and Savings Bank, envelop, undated

Box 42 Folder 13

Year of Hyde Park, Inc., by-laws, meeting notes, correspondence, 1988

Box 42 Folder 14

Zonta Club, yearbook, 1962

Box 42 Folder 15

Zonta Club, "The Zontian," 1951

Series III: Individuals

This series contains the histories, memorabilia, and writings of influential and ordinary people who lived and live in Hyde Park and the greater South Side. Oversized material has been transferred to Series XI. It is divided into six subseries:

Subseries 1: Paul Cornell, contains biographical information, family correspondence and papers, financial records, and photographs. Cornell was a lawyer and real estate developer who founded the township of Hyde Park in the 1850s. Material spans 1854-2007, but the bulk of this subseries is comprised of material remembering Cornell and his legacy.

Subersies 2: Paul Hazard, contains financial records related to his real estate dealings in Hyde Park and the South Side between1897-1928. It includes business and some personal correspondence.

Subseries 3: Hal Higdon, contains correspondence and book manuscripts. The bulk of these relate to Higdon's book The Union vs. Dr. Mudd. Material dates from the 1960s.

Subseries 4: Lorado Taft, contains writings and photographs. Writings consist of reminiscences about Taft at his Eagle’s Nest artist colony in Oregon, Illinois. Photographs are of his sculptures and the work of other artists. Photocopied photographs in this subseries are of poor quality. Material dates from 1892 to 1988, though many of the photographs are undated.

Subseries 5: Oral Histories, contains cassette tape recordings and transcripts of interviews with long-time Hyde Park residents. These interviews are of particular note. They were conducted between 1980-1986 and 1994-1995 for the "Hyde Park: A Place of Refuge," project, which explored how different ethnic groups and nationalities built their own community within Hyde Park. This subseries also contains notes and correspondence related to the interviews.

Subseries 6: General, contains the clippings, correspondence, memorabilia, photographs, and writings of various individuals with some link to Hyde Park or the Historical Society.Of note is a collection of Christmas cards designed by Maude Hutchins, wife of University of Chicago President Robert Maynard Hutchins. Also of note is an article on civil rights by crime novelist Sara Paretsky. Material spans 1830-2009.

Subseries 1: Paul Cornell

Box 42 Folder 16

American Bronze Founding Company, correspondence, 1970s- 1980s

Box 42 Folder 17

"Answer of Paul Cornell and Wife, Defendants," 1873

Box 42 Folder 18

Articles, 1950s-1960s

Box 42 Folder 19

Bank book, 1873

Box 42 Folder 20

Bibliography, undated

Box 42 Folder 21-22

Biographical sketches, undated

Box 42 Folder 23

Cornell, Helen G., estate records, circa 1896

Box 42 Folder 24

Cornell, Patricia, correspondence, 1998-2003

Box 42 Folder 25

Cornell, Paul Adrien, obituary, 2007

Box 42 Folder 26-30

Correspondence, 1854-1853, 1883, 1983, undated

Box 42 Folder 31

Family bible, undated

Box 42 Folder 32

"The Father of Hyde Park," Paul Adrien Cornell's speech to the Hyde Park Historical Society, 1978

Weiner, Nella Fermi, "Baby Bust and Boom: A Study of Family Size in University of Chicago Faculty Wives Born 1900-1934,"

Series IV: Architecture and Urban Planning

This series focuses on the architectural history of Hyde Park-Kenwood and the urban renewal projects pursued in the area. Oversized material has been transferred to Series XI. It is divided into six subseries:

Subseries 1: Hyde Park Modern Townhomes Project, contains administrative and financial records, architectural drawings, brochures, legal documents, membership information, oral histories, and photographs. These relate to the construction, financing, management, and residential life of Modernist townhomes built during the urban renewal projects of the 1950s and 1960s. This material was compiled by the Hyde Park Historical Society as part of a 2006 project to preserve and represent the architectural and social significance of this housing. The subseries begins with a summary of the Modern Townhomes Project, followed by material related to the townhomes themselves, organized by development name. The final box contains CDs of interviews with residents. Material spans 1960-2006.

Subseries 2: Hyde Park Center Project, contains information, maps, and photographs for homes and buildings located in the area bounded by 53rd and 55th Streets, and Harper and Woodlawn Avenues. The Historical Society termed this oldest section of Hyde Park "the most modest, the most urban, the most 'renewed' - and the least appreciated." This information was compiled to create a self-guided walking tour. Material is arranged by address and then by title. Material dates from 2007 unless otherwise noted.

Subseries 3: Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference contains administrative records, data, reports, and statements. Of note are playbooks for musicals staged at annual meetings. Material spans 1952-1965 and is organized by title. For proposals prepared by Conference committees, see Series II, Subseries 3.

Subseries 4: The Uses of Gothic, contains undated index cards referencing University of Chicago and Hyde Park buildings. Material is undated. It is organized by university building and by street.

Subseries 5: Postcards, contains postcards of Chicago events and landmarks from the 1930s, some with messages. It is organized by site.

The University of Chicago, "Register of Interest in New Purchase Housing," 1962

Box 86 Folder 24

The University of Chicago, "Report of the Faculty Committee on Rental Policies," 1962

Box 87 Folder 1

The University of Chicago, reunion program, 1972

Box 87 Folder 2

The University of Chicago, "Self Guided Walking Tours of Hyde Park and Kenwood," 1980s

Box 87 Folder 3

"The University of Chicago and the Surrounding Community," 1953

Box 87 Folder 4

University Towers, photo simulations, undated

Box 87 Folder 5

"Urban Renewal in a Chicago Neighborhood," Harvey Perloff, 1955

Box 87 Folder 6

Urban Search Map and History of Hyde Park-Kenwood, 1980

Box 87 Folder 7

"The Valuation of Accessibility," William Pendleton, 1962

Box 87 Folder 8

Washington Park Court, landmark celebration, 1996

Box 87 Folder 9

The Western Architect, "Jackson Towers," 1926

Box 87 Folder 10

The Western Architect, "Vista Homes Cooperative Apartments," 1927

Box 87 Folder 11

Windermere House, sales brochure, circa 1980s

Box 87 Folder 12

Zoning codes, undated

Box 87 Folder 13

Zoning ordinance, 1923

Series V: Parks and Landmarks

This series contains clippings, correspondence, maps, pamphlets, and photographs related to Chicago parks and sites of interest, particularly on the South Side. Material spans 1906-2005 and is organized by site and artist. Oversized material has been transferred to Series XI. For architectural and residential landmarks, see Series IV.

Box 87 Folder 14

63rd St Beach House, "Outline Program for Redevelopment," by Decker and Kemp, 1987

US Army Corps of Engineers, "Environmental Assessment for Shoreline Protection, 40th to 41st St.," 2005

Box 88 Folder 7

US Army Corps of Engineers, "Environmental Assessment for Shoreline Protection, 54th St. to 57th St.," 2001

Box 88 Folder 8

Washington Park, history, undated

Box 88 Folder 9

Washington Park, Lily Pond postcard, copy, 1906

Box 88 Folder 10

Zeno, 55th St. mural, clippings, 1972

Series VI: Events

This series contains clippings, maps, photographs, and programs of Chicago-area exhibitions and events, with a focus on those staged on the South Side. Material spans 1893-2009 and is organized by event.

Box 88 Folder 11

100 Years of Hyde Park, "A Living History," program, 1989

Box 88 Folder 12

100 Years of Hyde Park, press release, 1989

Box 88 Folder 13

100 Years of Hyde Park, "Year of Hyde Park," 1989

Box 88 Folder 14

1987 History Fair, "5411 South Harper Avenue," 1987

Box 88 Folder 15

1987 History Fair, "History of the 5400 Blackstone Block," 1987

Box 88 Folder 16

1987 History Fair, "The Hutchins Colleges at the University of Chicago," 1987

Series VIII: Publications

This series contains books and periodicals collected by the Hyde Park Historical Society. Oversized material has been transferred to Series XI. It is divided into two subseries:

Subseries 1: Books, includes books on Chicago and Illinois. Of note are Leon Despres' bound briefs for the case of Drueck v. Peterson, involving the occupancy of 4850 S. Greenwood Avenue by a student cooperative during the late 1940s. Material spans 1886-2005.

Why Can't They Be Like Us? Facts and Fallacies About Ethnic Differences and Group Conflicts in America, 1969

Box 107

Williams, Kenny J., In the City of Men: Another Story of Chicago, 1974

Box 107

Zeisler, Ernest B.. The Haymarket Riot, 1956

Box 108

The White City, 1894

Subseries 2: Periodicals

Box 109 Folder 1

American Heritage Federation for the Chicago Tribune, undated

Box 109 Folder 2

American Journal of Economics, 1963

Box 109 Folder 3

Bibliographies, undated

Box 109 Folder 4

A Century of Progress: Official Pictures in Color, 1934

Box 109 Folder 5

Chicago Architectural Foundation Guide, undated

Box 109 Folder 6

Chicago Books in Review 1995-1996

Box 109 Folder 7

Chicago Council on the Fine Arts, circa 1970s

Box 109 Folder 8

Chicago History, 1968-1969

Box 109 Folder 9-10

Chicago Journal, 1981-1982

Box 109 Folder 11

Chicago Life 1972

Box 109 Folder 12

Chicago Literary Review, 1978

Box 109 Folder 13-14

Chicago Maroon, 1978, 1985

Box 109 Folder 15

Chicago Rehabber, 1980

Box 109 Folder 16-17

Chicago Tribune, 1983, 1985

Box 109 Folder 18

DeFreitas, Helen, Nathaniel Kellogg Fairbank, 1981

Box 109 Folder 19

Eppstein, Roz, Looking Back In: A Boy's Chicago, 1939, 2003

Box 109 Folder 20

Feininger, Andreas, Feininger's Chicago, 1941, 1980

Box 109 Folder 21

The First Fifty Years at the University of Chicago, 1941

Box 110 Folder 1

Franz Alexander, M.D., 1964

Box 110 Folder 2

Free Press, 2000

Box 110 Folder 3

Friends of Downtown Chicago, 1982

Box 110 Folder 4-6

General clippings, 1971-2001

Box 110 Folder 7

Gerard, Leona Bachrach, Benchmarks I,II, and III, 1977, 1979,

1983

Box 110 Folder 8

Grey City Guide, 1976

Box 110 Folder 9

Haymarket, undated

Box 110 Folder 10-11

Hyde Park Herald, 1950-1960, 1956

Box 111 Folder 1-2

Hyde Park Herald, 1958, 1978

Box 111 Folder 3

Hyde Park Herald, 50th Anniversary Edition, 1931

Box 111 Folder 4-5

Hyde Park Herald, 75th Anniversary Edition, 1956

Box 111 Folder 6

Hyde Park Herald, Centennial Edition, 1982

Box 111 Folder 7-8

Hyde Park Historical Society Newsletter, 1980, 1992

Box 111 Folder 9

Hyde Park History, 1980

Box 111 Folder 10-11

Hyde Park-Kenwood Voices, 1966-1968

Box 112 Folder 1-4

Hyde Park-Kenwood Voices, 1969-1972

Box 112 Folder 5

The Hyde Parker, 1973-1974

Box 112 Folder 6

Illinois Historical Preservation Agency, 1990-1993

Box 112 Folder 7

Illinois Mapnotes, 1987

Box 112 Folder 8

New York Times, 1970

Box 112 Folder 9

One in Spirit Exhibition Catalogue, 1973-1974

Box 113 Folder 1

Our Hyde Park: A Photo Essay, 1976

Box 113 Folder 2

Poetry Magazine, 1980

Box 113 Folder 3

Rannells, Elizabeth, Eating Out in Chicago, undated

Box 113 Folder 4

Ranney, Victoria, Post, Olmsted in Chicago, 1972

Box 113 Folder 5

The Reader, 1973

Box 113 Folder 6

Reports of Hyde Park Village Officers, 1886

Box 113 Folder 7

Russell, Carroll Mason, The University of Chicago and Me, 1982

Box 113 Folder 8-9

South Shore Scene, 1965-1968

Box 114 Folder 1-2

South Shore Scene, 1969, 1976-1977

Box 114 Folder 3

Supreme Court of Illinois Abstract, 1960

Box 114 Folder 4

Toward Freedom, 1978-1983

Box 114 Folder 5

Traveler's Guide to African American Heritage, undated

Box 114 Folder 6

University of Chicago Magazine, 1979

Box 114 Folder 7

Walking With Women Through Chicago History, 1981

Box 114 Folder 8

Woolley, Edwin C., Handbook of Composition, 1907

Series IX: Audio-Visual

This series contains photographs, slides, records, cassette and VHS tapes, and microfilm. These document urban planning and recreation in Hyde Park-Kenwood. It is organized into three subseries:

Subseries 1: Photographs and Slides, documents Hyde Park-Kenwood architecture, events, and residents from 1859 through 2000. It includes drawings. Of note are those which chart urban renewal projects beginning in the 1950s; folders dated "before 1950s" contain photographs of buildings later demolished. Many photographs of individuals later appeared in the Hyde Park Herald; some of them recorded oral histories now found in Series III, Subseries 5. Folders contain photographs unless otherwise noted. This subseries is organized by address, and then alphabetically by subject, with photographer noted wherever known. Note that Lake Park Avenue was originally known as Lake Avenue.

Subseries 2: Audio, contains records and cassette tapes. These include music recorded by Hyde Park musicians and the annual meetings of the Hyde Park Historical Society. Material spans 1981-1996.

Subseries 3: Film and Microfilm, contains VHS recordings of the 57th St. Art Fair and its artists. It includes microfilmed architectural plans for 5734 S. Kimbark Avenue. Material spans 1982-1996.

Series X: Artifacts

This series contains memorabilia from Hyde Park and Chicago events, and other artifacts collected by the Hyde Park Historical Society. Of note are a parasol from the Chicago World's Fair and a license plate supporting prohibition. Material spans 1933-2007.

Box 136

Badge and pin, World’s Columbian Exposition, Eleanor Pyper, 1893

Box 136

Buttons, Hyde Park High School All-School Reunion, 2002

Box 136

Commemorative coins, Hyde Park Centennial, 1962

Box 136

Conductor's pin, Chicago Metra, circa 2007

Box 136

Copper Plate, Colony Book Shop, undated

Box 136

Cup, Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, undated

Box 136

Gavel, Kenwood Garden Club, circa 1970s

Box 136

License plate, "Uphold the 18th Amendment" (Prohibition), circa 1933

Box 136

Stamps, Nancy Hays Photography, undated

Box 137

Parasol, Chicago World's Fair, 1933

Box 138-140

Nine plates depicting the University of Chicago campus, undated

Box 141

Twelve pottery mugs, undated

Box 141

Small pottery dish, blue, undated

Box 142

Two polar bear bookends, undated

Box FOLDER 1

Apron, Hyde Park Centennial, 1962

Box FOLDER 1

Pennant, Hyde Park, undated

Box FOLDER 1

Pennant, Mt. Carmel, undated

Series XI: Oversize

This series contains oversized material from Series I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VIII. It is divided into corresponding subseries:

Subseries 3: Individuals, contains clippings, memorabilia, photographs, posters, and scrapbooks. Material spans 1873-1966. Of note are the photographs and scrapbook of Helen Follett Jameson Stevens. Stevens (then Helen Follett) was 19 when she reportedly became Chicago's second woman journalist in 1892. She wrote under the pseudonyms "Cinders" and "Madame Qui Vive."